Political Science 3345

Contemporary International Conflict

Baruch College, Spring Semester 2017
Professor: Roseanne McManus

Course Overview

This course will introduce students to the causes of and potential solutions to contemporary
international conflicts. It will address traditional conflicts between nation-states as well as civil
conflicts and asymmetric conflicts. The first portion of the course will deal with the causes of
traditional interstate and intrastate conflicts. Some of these causes will suggest natural
solutions or ways to prevent conflict. The second portion will cover terrorism and assymetric
conflicts. The third portion will cover conflict resolution. In all portions of the course, theories
of conflict will be interspersed with examples from current events and modern history.

Each class meeting will consist of approximately 2/3 lecture and 1/3 discussion, although this
balance will vary slightly by topic. I will typically present theories and background information in
lecture format, and we will use discussion format to analyze the assigned readings and lecture
material. In addition, I will often pose questions to the class while lecturing, and I highly
encourage you to raise your hand with any questions while I am lecturing. Active participation
in discussion is important for the success of the class. In order to be able to make useful
contributions to discussion, you should do the required reading before class.

Learning Goals
Understand the causes of various types of international conflict.
Compare the merits of various means of preventing or resolving international conflict.
Analyze the causes of and solutions to prominent international conflicts.
Debate the merits of arguments expressed in academic and policy articles.
Write a research paper, gathering and assessing information from a variety of sources and
making well-reasoned arguments to support your conclusions.

Contact Information and Office Hours: The best way to contact me is by email at
Roseanne.McManus@baruch.cuny.edu. I am also happy to talk with you in my office, by Skype,
or after class. My office is 5-271 Vertical Campus; enter through 5-280. Please email me to set
up a time to visit or Skype.

Course Grade Summary

Grade Component % of Grade Date/Deadline

Class participation and attendance 20 Every class
Midterm exam 25 In class, March 21
Final exam 25 10:30am, May 25
Research paper proposal 3 12 noon, March 10
Research paper, first draft 15 12 noon, April 7
Research paper, final draft 12 12 noon, May 29

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Class Participation and Attendance: For each class meeting, you will receive a score between 0
and 10. Students who make frequent and/or high-quality contributions to discussion will earn
9.5-10 points, students who make at least some contribution to discussion will earn 9 points,
and students who are present but silent will earn 8 points. One or more points will be deducted
from the score of students who come in late, leave early, step out during class, engage in side
conversations, look at cellphones, or engage in other disrespectful behavior. Students will
receive a 0 for each unexcused absence. Excused absences will be dropped from the course
grade. To have an absence excused, you must contact me with a valid excuse within one week. I
will determine the validity of excuses at my own discretion and may require documentation. At
the end of the semester, I will drop your lowest two participation scores.

Possible Quizzes: If I find that class discussions are suffering because many students are not
prepared, I reserve the right to administer short pop quizzes on the readings at the beginning of
class. If this option becomes necessary, the quizzes will also count toward your overall grade,
and I will adjust the weights of the other grade components.

Exams: There will be two exams, a midterm (March 21) and a final (May 25). The exams will
cover the lectures, readings, and class discussions. You should do all readings and take notes
during class in order to be prepared for the exams. Each exam will include multiple choice,
identification, and short answer questions. I will release an exam study guide two weeks before
each exam is scheduled. A make-up exam will only be given if a student contacts me prior to the
exam and provides a valid excuse with documentation. Otherwise, you will receive a 0 if you
miss an exam.

Research Paper: The research paper assignment is to analyze the causes of a current
international conflict and propose a solution to the conflict. You may choose an international
conflict, a civil conflict, or an asymmetric conflict. The conflict you choose need not necessarily
involve violence at the present moment, but there must at least be potential for violence. A full
description of the paper requirements and grading standards is available in a separate
document called Research Paper Instructions and Grading.

There are three graded components of your research paper project:

Paper Proposal: By noon on Friday, March 10, you must send me the following
information about your research paper: (1) the conflict you intend to write about, (2)
your proposed thesis statement (which should have two parts, one about causes and
one about solutions), and (3) three specific sources that you intend to use. I will provide
feedback. Incomplete or late proposal submissions will receive half credit.
First Paper Draft: The first draft of your research paper is due at noon on Friday, April 7.
The word draft does not mean that it is acceptable for your paper to be sloppy or
incomplete. The first draft should be your best work and will count for a greater portion
of your grade than the final version.
Final Paper Draft: Your final paper draft is due at noon on Monday, May 29. By making
changes in response to my comments on the first draft, everyone should be able to earn
a better grade on the final draft. If you are happy with your grade on your first draft,
you need not submit a final draft, and your first draft grade will become your final draft
grade as well.

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Academic Misconduct: I take academic misconduct (i.e., cheating and plagiarism) very
seriously and penalize it severely, with the maximum penalty being an automatic F in the
class and an official report to the Office of the Dean of Students. I will use Turn It In to
check for plagiarism. To make sure that everyone understands what constitutes
plagiarism, all students are required to turn in the Statement on Academic Integrity
available on Blackboard, copied in their own handwriting and signed, by March 28. I will
not accept your research paper until I have this.

Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations
should speak with me within the first two weeks of classes. If you have not already done so, you
should also contact the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities.

Readings: There is no textbook for this class. All readings can be found on Blackboard. The
required reading for each class is listed on the outline below.

Course Outline

PART 1: THE CAUSES OF INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT

Jan 31 Course Overview and Introductions

Feb 2 Topic 1: Anarchy and the Security Dilemma

Waltz, Kenneth N. 1977. The Origins of War in Neorealist Theory. Journal
of Interdisciplinary History 18(4):615-628.

Feb 7 Topic 2: Misperception and Distrust

Jervis, Robert. 1976. Perception and Misperception in International Politics.
Princeton: Princeton University Press. Chapter 3, pages 58-83 only.

Feb 9 No class meeting (snow day)

Feb 14 Topic 3: World War I and Whether War Can Happen by Accident
Kydd, Andrew. 1997. Sheep in Sheeps Clothing: Why Security Seekers Do
Not fight Each Other. Security Studies 7(1):114-155.

Feb 16 Topic 4: Deterrence Theory and World War II

Boden, Michael A., and Regan Hildebrand. 2000. Hitlers Aggression: Could
Adolf Hitler Have Been Deterred from Launching WWII? In History in
Dispute, Vol. 4: World War II, 1939-1943, ed. Dennis Showalter. Farmington
Hills, MI: James Press.

Feb 21 Topic 5: Deterrence Theory and the Cold War

Mueller, John. 1988. The Essential Irrelevance of Nuclear Weapons:
Stability in the Postwar World. International Security 13 (2):55-79.

Feb 23 No Class Meeting (Professor at conference)

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Feb 28 Topic 6: Signaling Intentions and US-China Relations
Excerpt from McManus, Roseanne W. 2017. Statements of Resolve:
Achieving Coercive Credibility in International Conflict. New York: Cambridge
University Press, Forthcoming.

March 2 Topic 8: Domestic Politics and War

Also cover writing topic: Research paper assignment
Doyle, Michael. 1983. Kant, Liberal Legacies, and Foreign Affairs, Part I.
Philosophy and Public Affairs 12(3):205-35.

March 7 Topic 9: The Vietnam and Iraq Wars

Also cover writing topic: Finding sources
Hook, Steven W., and John Spanier. 2013. American Foreign Policy since
World War II. 19th ed. Los Angeles: Sage. Excerpt from Iraq War chapter.
Pillar, Paul R. 2006. Intelligence, Policy, and the War in Iraq. Foreign
Affairs 85(2):15-27.

March 9 Topic 10: Rationalist Explanations for War

Also cover writing topic: Paper structure
Fearon, James D. 1995. Rationalist Explanations for War. International
Organization 49(3):379414.

March 14 Topic 11: Ethnic Conflict

Sambanis, Nicholas. 2001. Do Ethnic and Nonethnic Civil Wars Have the
Same Causes? Journal of Conflict Resolution 45(3):259-282.

March 16 Catch-Up and Review

No reading

March 21 Midterm Exam

PART 2: TERRORISM AND ASSYMETRIC CONFLICT

March 23 Topic 13: Introduction to Terrorism

Also cover writing topic: Academic integrity
Kydd, Andrew and Barbara Walter. 2006. Strategies of Terrorism.
International Security 31(1):49-80.

March 28 Topic 14: Evolution of Radical Islamic Terrorism

Also cover writing topic: APSA citation and reference method
Submit academic integrity statement, in own handwriting and signed.
Sciarcon, Jonathan. 2013. Terrorism, Islamic Radical." In Atrocities,
Massacres, and War Crimes: An Encyclopedia, Vol 2, ed. Alexander
Mikaberidze.

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March 30 Topic 15: The Conflict in Syria
Also cover writing topic: Sentence structure
Reading TBD due to changing situation

April 4 Topic 16: Skype Session with Bilkent University

Reading TBD

April 6 Topic 17: Cyber Warfare and US-Russia Relations

Reading TDB due to evolving information

April 11-18 No Classes (Spring break)

April 20 No Class Meeting (Monday schedule)

PART 3: CONFLICT RESOLUTION

April 25 Topic 18: How Does War End?

Excerpt from Ikl, Fred Charles. 2005. Every War Must End. New York:
Columbia University Press.

April 27 Topic 19: Dividing up People and Places

Goddard, Stacie E. 2006. Uncommon Ground: Indivisible Territory and the
Politics of Legitimacy. International Organization 60(1):35-68.
Kaufmann, Chaim. 1996. Possible and Impossible Solutions to Ethnic Civil
Wars. International Security 20(4):136-175.

May 2 Topic 20: Conflict Resolution and the Fate of Leaders

Croco, Sarah E. 2011. The Deciders Dilemma: Leader Culpability, War
Outcomes, and Domestic Punishment. American Political Science Review
105(3):457-477.

May 4 Topic 21: Mediation

Beardsley, Kyle. 2008. Agreement without Peace? International Mediation
and Time Inconsistency Problems. American Journal of Political Science
52(4):723-40.
Kydd, Andrew. 2003. Which Side Are You On? Bias, Credibility and
Mediation. American Journal of Political Science 47(4):597-611.

May 9 Topic 22: Humanitarian intervention

Kuperman, Alan J. 2008. The Moral Hazard of Humanitarian Intervention:
Lessons from the Balkans. International Studies Quarterly 52(1):49-80.

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May 11 Topic 23: Achieving Long-Term Peace
Fearon, James D. and David D. Laitin. 2004. Neotrusteeship and the
Problem of Weak States. International Security 28:4 5-43.
Englebert, Pierre and Dennis M. Tull. 2008. Postconflict Resolution in
Africa: Flawed Ideas about Failed States. International Security 4(32):106-
139.

May 16 Topic 24: TDB Application to Current Events

Reading TDB, probably just one or two news articles

May 18 Topic 25: Careers in International Security

No reading